Mackie 802VLZ4 8-channel Analog Mixer Reviews

I needed a small soundboard for smaller sized business seminars that required 2 mics and an audio line for video presentations. This little Mackie is proving to be a good fit for these types of events. Paired with a set of Mackie Thump 16 Speakers, it does what I expect of it with no issues. It's built with very solid construction and is a simple no frills board for basic needs. A colleague of mine accidentally ran over one of these boards at a job sight. It messed up the knobs a little bit but didn't kill it. It's a tough little board. While I don't recommend rough treatment on these boards (I'm very careful with mine) I am pretty confident in its durability.

"But how many compact mixing consoles have you used?" Oh, 30 or 40. I've used A LOT of compact mixing consoles and, mostly because I'm cheap, I've avoided Mackie UNTIL NOW. Here's the thing, this is not one of those cases where I'm paying more to get what I want, it's a prime example of getting exactly what I paid for. Why? Because this mixer is awesome. Things I like: both XLR and dual 1/4 main outs, 3-band EQs on every channel, Aux sends on every channel, the ability to pre/post the aux, and MUTE BUTTONS! All of this in a console that fits neatly in my BACKPACK so I can tote it to bar trivia or karaoke or DJ gigs with an insane amount of ease. So yeah, feature packed, compact, and OH BY THE WAY: the sound that comes out of this board is as clean and shapeable as I've ever found. So yeah, to sum up: I love everything about this mixing console and would recommend it to anyone who's looking for a highly-functional compact unit.

I must admit this is the first, and so far, only mixer I have owned, but for the price, the quality of the preamps, hardware, and sound quality has me blown away. And the utility of this thing as part of my music production workflow makes it the swiss army knife of my home studio.

I did encounter an issue with the High-Z button on channels 1 and 2 after about 6 months. After a quick demonstration of the problem to David, my Mackie customer service tech, a brand new unit was on its way to me, no further questions asked.

This is the kind of customer service that should be a model for other manufacturers. Problems do occur in any kind of hardware - it's how the manufacturer and their service team reacts when they arise that makes the difference.

I highly recommend the 802VLZ4, and more importantly, Mackie has gained my customer loyalty.

I live in Georgia, I practically do not know English and therefore the text is translated via google translate.
sweetwater is a very good seller.
The mixer arrived in the best packaging so as not to be damaged during transportation.
This mixer is exactly what I needed for a home studio: I did not want the mixer to have effects (I do not need that in the mixer), I wanted the volume of the individual channels to be not a creepy but a spinner (so less resistor dust) and most importantly, it is the only one in small mixers , Which has a separate, individual channel volume mute button. It was very desirable to me.
The mixer itself works very well and the option that was sent to me, its power supply operates at 110 to 240 volts so that it can be boldly subscribed by Europeans as well.

I'll admit that I needed a mixer for a pretty non-typical setup. What I needed was a mixer that I could connect my headset to, connect my desk telephone to, and connect various other PCs and audio sources to. The goal was to use my headset with my telephone while also being able to record the conversation *and* be able to inject other audio into the call when needed. The way this mixer was able to accomplish this was through the the "3/4" sub channel. For those who don't know what that is or how it works: This mixer basically has a fully separate bus that sends all of the muted channels to it. So I ran my headset mic to channel one and muted it which then sent it's output via the sub channel to my desk phone. This way I didn't have to hear my own voice in the mix but it still made it to the phone. I then used the Aux bus to send a separate signal to the recording PC. This way I could set the output levels where they needed to be for recording. The fun part of this setup is I could listen to pc audio while on a phone call but not send any of that audio over the phone call or to the actual recording. I have been able to watch a youtube video about a piece of equipment I'm discussing over the phone while the person I'm discussing it with doesn't hear any of that video's audio.

As far as quality and all that goes, no complaints from me. On a separate note, If you want to pipe a desk phone into a mixer like I did just make sure you use a ground loop isolater inline for both in and out.

This unit is very well designed and just right for my home studio. It is indeed built like a tank, very quiet, and loads of functionality in a small package. What's not to like?

Clean, tons of headroom, great routing flexibility, good pre's. Exactly what I wanted for personal in ears / monitor set up. I own a bunch of mixers, wanted a new small mixer to use live - that would fit on stand, built tough, so I could use for monitor mix. This is perfect. Chris McCown my long time sales representative helped me select this - and as always - excellent advice!

Years ago I had a small Mackie mixer that I used all the time in my voiceover studio. For some reason I can't understand any more, I moved away from that little mixer. After wandering in the wilderness for long enough, it was time to come back to the solid, professional little mixer that I knew so well. And am I ever glad I did! It just works and works and works!

Absolutely love this mixer and the control this has given me over my audio for my live streams. The fidelity and headroom this unit provides makes listening to my music a joy all over again. I'm using 5 of the 8 channels (1 microphone, 2 stereo channels from source PC, 2 stereo channels from streaming PC). Then I run balanced stereo XLR outs to a Focusrite 2i2 USB adapter that connects to my streaming PC. I'm able to monitor all audio directly from the mixer. Being able to mute/control each channel while still monitoring is really handing while streaming. The knobs are satisfying and smooth to control. Overall construction feels very solid. I would highly recommend this mixer for anyone looking to upgrade the audio of their streaming setup.

The best upgrade I have added to the stream hands down.

I work with the praise & worship ministry, JC & Company. I recently purchased the Strymon Blue Sky Reverberation Unit to compliment the TC Helicon Play Acoustic Vocal Harmonizer that I use. I needed a quality mixer to control each of the signals. The Mackie 802 VLZ4 works great! Very compact unit. Very rugged. This mixer has opened so many possibilities for this solo ministry! I highly recommend it for any audio application.

I needed a small mixer to channel several iPads to a main board. This is perfect! A solid machine and easy to use.

The Mackie 802VLZ4 is a tank. Built really well, and extremely well thought out for a such tiny format mixer. The routing options that this little piece has are much appreciated and the sound quality is awesome. Tons of headroom and clean mic pre's. EQ section is not horribly surgical but can be useful in pinch situations (I tend to avoid EQing going in anyways).... the ALT 3-4 option is a big plus. I use it to route the output of a any channel I mute to go back into my MPC1000 for sampling. Makes the process of getting sounds back in a breeze. Only wish I payed for the larger version of this mixer as I need one more stereo channel nowadays... Great mixer - go buy it.

I needed a small format high-quality mixer for my home studio to manage a combination of audio sources for broadcasting, podcasting, recording and voiceovers and took a chance on the Mackie 802 VLZ4 which I don't regret. The build quality, low profile, soudn quality, No-noise performance, and ease of use have exceeded my expectations. I hope they will e ventually add a 2x2 USB port to the full range of this series

Mixers in this price range vary widely in quality. This is my first Mackie. I am so impressed with the performance of this model. The Onyx preamps are oh so good. The signal is clear and your mix translates through the board just as you played it. No sizzles or white noise to ruin your session. This is an excellent mixer and yields pro results. As a guitarist, I liked that it had HiZ buttons and the host of connection options. My last mixer had no on off switch. This one does. Someone might take that for granted. however, you miss this when you don't have one! I would consider this a best buy for the serious musician on a budget. Sweetwater service is always top notch. Thank you for detailed product information. It's nice to be able to make comparisons and also read the reviews before making a purchase.

This Mackie was put to the test and put to work as soon as the package arrived in the studio! This is an incredibly silent mixer, adding not even a trace of extraneous noise. In fact you have to look at the power and meter lights to even tell it's powered on. The Onyx pre-amps are nothing short of stellar and the EQ settings bow graciously to your commands.
And you will absolutely love the rotating level knobs. No dirty faders here with the conveniently sealed knobs. Mackie has put just about everything you could ask for in a studio mixer including a line level / mic level switch on the XLR Main outs. Just in case you are running your mixer outputs into a USB or Firewire computer interface's sensitive inputs. This Mackie works hard and silently. So if you are as concerned with what you DON'T hear as much as you are about your critical sound requirements; (and without taking a 4x6 foot swath out of your studio space with a giant mixer), I very highly recommend this Mackie 802VLZ4 at about the size of a sheet of paper wide, and an inch and a half high.

I have used other Mackie mixers but needed a small mixer for solo gigs and when my other brand died I decided to try the new 802VLZ4 Mackie mixer and I am so glad I did. The mic pres are amazing to my ears and others. I am using the mixer with a DPA 4099G Gutiar mic and RMC Pickups with a Poly Drive II preamp for the RMC then I run the pickups and blend with the DPA. Just warm tone. No bright high or mud. The mic pres are very clean and clear with detailed tone. Then I run the Aux send to a Lexicon MX 300 for nice touch of reverb. Nice easy set up for Flamenco Gutiar or Acoustic. I also use another guitar with the Fishman Blend system into a Rane AP 13 and split the mic and pickup. Sounds great through the Mackie 802VLZ. Nice mixer, I ordered the bag too. Thanks Mackie.

I'm biased, being a loooooong-time user of Mackie products, and in the 1202 in particular as a small format/small footprint mixer that could be nice link between balanced and unbalanced signals, with a good amount of gain when needed. Here I needed an even smaller footprint and didn't need all the features of the 1202 (less Aux routing, less channels), so this was perfect. The EQ is the same, with a fixed Mid at 2.5K. Like its larger brethren, it has the channel mute button that routes signal to an alternate 3/4 output. Unlike the 1202, all I/O is on the face of the mixer, none on the back, and this can be an advantage in some placements. All controls and connections feel solid. One negative for some may be that unlike the 1202 and larger, the 802 does not have an internal power supply with IEC cable, it uses a external DC power supply. The 1202 has long been my Swiss Army Knife on setups, and this unit makes that kit even lighter for smaller applications.

I bought this mixer to practice guitar and add vocals through headphones so I could REALLY hear my voice over the guitar. This mixer has taught me several valuable lessons, including the fact that the mixer sounds great! I also learned that I have a lot of vocal work to do. The mix sounds great with both guitar and vocals clear as a bell. There"s no muddiness or hum. The mic preamps are extremely quiet when there"s no signal. No buzz, no hum. Just silence.

I added a little bit of reverb to sweeten up the vocals a bit, but honestly, that"s just a luxury. With this little Mackie I don"t really need it.

I recommend this mixer for anyone looking for a seriously good piece of equipment. Yes, you can find cheaper mixers with more bells and whistles, and I"ve had lots of them. From my experience, Roxtarthis Mackie is going to perform well for many years to come. Those other cheaper mixers will start to fall apart over time, and they don"t sound as good straight out of the gate. For me, it"s a no-brainer. I would rather pay more for good quality gear that won"t let me down.

Yeah I bought the smaller version to do a simple radio show. 2 mics. I was really impressed with the onyx preamps. I am mostly concerned with the sound of the voice. I did the first radio show and it sounded awesome so I returned the smaller mixer for the 802. Now I can do the radio show with 3 guests. Their voices were supreme with these preamps and this small mixer is portable. I used Shure SM58 mics and bought a beringer headphone amp so that guests could hear themselves. It all worked out really well.
I want to thank Sweetwater for letting me return the smaller mixer. They sent me the 802 just in time so that I could record the next radio show in time.
Thanks Sweetwater.

I have two 802VLZ4 mixers in my studio setup to interface various components including keyboards, monitors, headphone amps, a Beat-Buddy, a CD player, an iPhone signal, etc. These mixers are built like tanks and always do the job without any issues. They are highly recommended!

It's working very well for as much of the features as I have figured out how to use so far.

The mixer is just the right size for the venues we do. It's what I expect from Mackie. It is a mini board but as usable without hum as the bigger boards.

Out of the box, left channel output is lower by almost 2 db (see photo). Mackie support said it's a budget mixer and that is within tolerance. Lol. I don't understand how this mixer has any positive reviews. Sweetwater was stellar as always and replaced the unit. Same problem! They replaced it again, this time with the twelve channel version. Same problem (and no it's not me, this is happening with a mono signal). Researched online and there is story after story of this same issue. Mackie mixers aren't what they used to be.

I've had to replace this mixer twice (it lasted about 2 years) and this is with light and careful use. Buyer beware, apparently Mackies reputation for building long lasting tanks is a distant memory

After 15 minutes or so my two small diaphragm condenser mics start to sound extremely washy and noisy. Tried an exchanged mixer, same problem. I've switched mics, cables, you name it. I'm convince that Mackie made a bad batch or a bad product. If you don't want to use phantom power then it's fine but I can't look past it. Seems like a janky power plug to me, the headphones sizzle inconsistently when I rotate the power plug a little to try and fix this Overhead wash. Incredibly disappointing. It's at least four stars if it worked correctly. getting my hopes up and wasting time is a big deal.